MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Washington

Tesla MR's hybrid MRI program takes 12 to 18 months and needs no prior imaging credential: coursework is online, and our site team arranges your clinical training. Every other program a Washington resident can attend is compared below.

Comparing programs nationally? See MRI tech school formats, costs, and certification paths. Checking accreditation? See every accredited MRI tech certification program.

View Program Details Compare every program near you
MRI technologist student training at a clinical site
$123K Avg. Salary
0 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition

Program at a glance

  • 12-18 month program
  • No prerequisites: a high school diploma or GED
  • 100% online coursework
  • Our site team handles clinical placement
  • Eligible to sit the ARMRIT exam on completion

Start your MRI career in Washington

No application fee. Rolling admissions year-round.

View Program Details Or talk to an advisor
Your options

MRI programs available to Washington residents

7 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option. Only one of them trains you in MRI directly without a prior X-ray credential. Facts come from each school's published pages. Confirm with the school before you apply.

Published cost is what each school states on its own site. Some schools publish tuition only; others include fees, books, or uniforms; public colleges often distinguish in-district from out-of-district rates. Each row says which. For the national list with accreditor and entry requirement for every program, see accredited MRI tech certification programs.

Program Path Credential Length Prior X-ray? Format Published cost
Tesla MR Online coursework, clinicals near you
MRI direct
Certificate (ARMRIT exam eligibility)ARMRIT
12 to 18 months
No
Hybrid: online lectures, in-person clinicals
$11,500 to $13,400 by payment plan
Bates Technical College (MRI Technology) Tacoma, WA Starts Fall Quarter each year; anticipates 16 to 20 students per year; Fall 2026 applications closed. No JRCERT programmatic accreditation; college is NWCCU accredited and page says it will seek ARRT Recognized Educational Program approval.
MRI direct
Associate of Applied Science: MRI Technology (95 credits)ARRT (MR)
6 quarters (approximately 18 months), including summer
No
Hybrid/in-person at the Downtown Campus during the first year; final two quarters are full-time clinical rotations
Total estimated tuition and fees: $14,000 to $16,000 for WA residents (about $1,990 per quarter for 16 credits plus program fees); academic year not stated
Bellevue College (Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Certificate of Accomplishment) Bellevue, WA Requires national certification in radiologic technology, nuclear medicine, or radiation therapy (or final year of such a program) plus A&P I and II. Selective admission twice a year: fall final deadline July 15, spring final deadline March 15.
MRI after X-ray
Certificate of Accomplishment in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (35 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
Not stated (1 to 2 classes per quarter)
Yes
Fully online coursework with a clinical practicum at a local clinical partner
Not published
Columbia Basin College (MRI Technology Short-Term Certificate) Richland, WA Applicants must be ARRT certified and registered in Radiography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy, or Sonography. Second-year CBC Radiologic Technology students may take some courses. Credits from catalog.columbiabasin.edu MRI STC page: 3 courses, 12 of 18 credits are clinical practicum.
MRI after X-ray
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology Short-Term Certificate (18 credits per college catalog)ARRT (MR) post-primary
Not stated
Yes
Academic coursework (sectional anatomy, physics, MRI instrumentation) plus clinical training; delivery mode not stated
Not published
Tacoma Community College (Radiologic Science) Tacoma, WA JRCERT accredited (8-year award). Typically accepts 40 to 48 students a year in two cohorts (fall and spring); selective application cycle in spring quarter. Details from the program's Things to Know page on tacomacc.edu.
X-ray first
Associate in Applied Sciences in Radiologic Science (114 credits)ARRT (R)
2.5 years
No
Full-time, on campus Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; no part-time or evening option
Not published
Spokane Community College (Radiology Technology) Spokane, WA JRCERT accredited (8-year award). Class size 21; new class each September; next application deadline June 25, 2027 for Fall 2027 start.
X-ray first
Associate of Applied Science in Radiology Technology (112 total program credits)ARRT (R)
Seven continuous quarters
No
Full-time, classroom instruction plus 1980 clinical hours
Estimated total cost to complete: $21,936 WA resident, $26,888 non-resident (tuition $16,465 resident); academic year not stated
Bellingham Technical College (Radiologic Technology, Bellingham and Everett cohorts) Bellingham, WA 32 seats: 16 Bellingham cohort and 16 Everett cohort (Everett cohort uses Everett Community College). Typically starts fall; 2027 cohort application window January 15 to February 17, 2027.
X-ray first
Associate in Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T) in Radiologic Technology (151 credits)ARRT (R)
7 quarters
No
Hybrid: synchronous and asynchronous online plus face-to-face instruction and clinical rotations
Average $2,800 per quarter; total tuition and fees about $19,600 for 7 quarters; academic year not stated
Yakima Valley College (Radiologic Sciences) Yakima, WA JRCERT accredited (8-year award). Program begins each June (summer quarter); application deadline March 1. Clinical sites include Sunnyside, Toppenish, Ellensburg, and Union Gap.
X-ray first
Associate of Applied Sciences in Radiologic Sciences (114 credits)ARRT (R)
Eight quarters (24 months)
No
Online courses, lectures, labs, and clinical practicum sites
Approximate cost of the 24-month program: $16,363.58 (subject to change); academic year not stated

Verified against each program's own website between Sep 18, 2026 and Oct 23, 2026. Tuition, length, and admission rules change; the school's page is the authority. Tesla MR is not a degree-granting institution and does not participate in federal financial aid. See accreditation. The schools named here are not affiliated with Tesla MR and do not endorse it; their names belong to their owners. Spot an error? Email info@teslamr.com and we will review it within 10 business days.

The path

How to become an MRI tech in Washington

Five steps, the same in Washington as anywhere else. Where you do step four is what changes by city.

  1. Confirm you are eligible

    A high school diploma or GED is the floor. You do not need a prior X-ray, radiography, or healthcare credential for the ARMRIT route. Some of the in-person programs in the table above do require one.

  2. Pick the credential you are aiming for

    Employers in Washington hire both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT technologists. ARRT usually means a two-year degree or a prior radiography license. ARMRIT is the certificate route for career changers.

  3. Choose a program format that fits your life

    Full-time campus programs are faster if you can stop working. Hybrid programs put the coursework online and the clinical hours at a facility near you, which is how most working adults finish.

  4. Complete supervised clinical hours

    Every path ends at a scanner. Clinical training is the part that depends on local capacity, so ask any program how placement works before you enroll. Ours is explained below.

  5. Pass the registry exam and get hired

    Washington certifies MRI technologists through the Department of Health and accepts either the ARRT or the ARMRIT exam. Once certified, you can apply to the hospital systems and imaging groups listed further down this page.

Where you would train and work

MRI employers in Washington, and which ones are in our clinical network

We are still building our network in Washington. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Washington that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

We have not mapped Washington employers yet. Tell us where you live and our site team will do it for your application.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on October 23, 2026. Affiliations are added and change over time; the assessment you receive during admissions is the one that applies to you.

Clinical placement

How clinical placement works

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to find or negotiate your own clinical site. We look for a facility within a reasonable commute of your home and widen the search only if we need to.

Timing depends on facilities having capacity when you reach clinicals. If your area is thin, we tell you during admissions, not after you enroll, and we talk through the options with you.

Growing here · Washington

We are still building our network in Washington. If you apply, the site team maps your area first and tells you what to expect before you commit.

  1. We look at your area during admissions

    If you already have a facility in mind, maybe where you work, we reach out and see whether you can train there. If not, our site team maps the hospitals and imaging centers near your home and starts the conversation.

  2. You get a straight answer before you enroll

    Clinicals are still months away at this point, so a site's answer is usually "we expect so, check back closer to the date." We tell you what we heard and what it means for your timeline.

  3. You start the coursework while the site work continues

    Most students begin Phase I and Phase II before a specific facility is named. That is normal, and the site team keeps working your area in the background.

  4. Your site is confirmed as clinicals approach

    Once clinicals are weeks away rather than months, facilities can commit to dates. We work to have your placement set before Phase III begins. Which facility and which shift depends on who has capacity at that time.

MRI technologist licensing in Washington

Washington requires state certification for MRI technologists: RCW 18.84.020 defines a magnetic resonance imaging technologist as a type of radiologic technologist (added by 2024 c 94), and RCW 18.84.030 says no person may practice radiologic technology without being registered or certified under the chapter. Under WAC 246-926, the Department of Health certifies MRI technologists who completed a program or pathway recognized by ARRT or ARMRIT and passed the ARRT or ARMRIT MRI exam.

Washington’s rule accepts either registry, so both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT graduates can apply for state certification. Employers list their own requirements in each job posting.

💡

Key Takeaway

Washington certifies MRI technologists through the Department of Health and accepts either the ARRT or the ARMRIT exam.

MRI technologist salary in Washington

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $122,750 for MRI technologists in Washington, with about 960 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Washington radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $102,090.

Entry-level pay sits below the median. Shift differentials, specialty work such as cardiac or breast MRI, and 3 to 5 years of experience push experienced technologists above it. See the MRI technologist salary guide and salary by state for the full breakdown.

Where MRI techs work in Washington

Major healthcare employers in Washington include Providence Health Washington, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, MultiCare Health System, PeaceHealth, Swedish Health Services, UW Medicine (University of Washington). These systems operate hospitals, outpatient imaging centers, and specialty clinics across the state.

Washington state offers some of the highest MRI tech salaries in the nation, compounded by the significant advantage of no state income tax, a combination that makes Seattle-area positions among the most financially rewarding in the country. The presence of UW Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center creates demand for research-oriented MRI professionals. Washington’s tech-driven economy generates a well-insured population with high healthcare utilization. Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma and Naval Station Everett add federal imaging positions. Vancouver, WA, across the river from Portland, OR, offers the unique advantage of Washington’s no income tax with access to Oregon’s no sales tax.

MRI programs by city in Washington

Looking for MRI training in a specific Washington city? See our detailed guides:

More resources

ARMRIT Accredited Nationally recognized certification
334+ Clinical Sites Partner network in 38 states
Starting at $11,500 Payment plans available

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the path. The X-ray-first route is a 2-year radiography degree followed by an MRI certificate, often about another year. One Washington program in the table above, Bates Technical College (MRI Technology), takes students with no imaging credential; its length is listed in the Length column. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate takes most students 12 to 18 months.

BLS does not break CT out separately; it reports radiologic technologists and technicians, which includes X-ray and CT, at a Washington median of $102,090 versus $122,750 for MRI technologists (May 2025). Nationally the figures are $80,110 and $95,480. MRI is the higher-paid modality in both sets of numbers.

The coursework is real: MRI physics, cross-sectional anatomy, pulse sequences, and safety around a magnet that is always on. Most students who put in steady weekly hours pass. In Washington the harder part is often getting a seat, since campus MRI cohorts are small and most admit once a year. Every path ends with a national registry exam, ARRT or ARMRIT.

Yes. Bates Technical College (MRI Technology) and Tesla MR's hybrid certificate both accept students with no prior imaging credential. The post-primary certificates in the table require an existing ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry, so check the prior X-ray column before you apply anywhere.

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to secure your own site. If you know a facility, you can propose it, but we review it, confirm capacity, sign the agreement, and approve it. The affiliated Washington health systems are listed on this page.

MRI tech schools in nearby cities and states

Seattle, Washington4Vancouver, Washington4IdahoOregon
Take the next step

Ready to start your MRI career in Washington?

Join hundreds of students training at clinical sites across the country. No prerequisites, no application fee, rolling admissions.

View Program Details Talk to an advisor

Related guides

For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Alabama: Birmingham, Florence, Tuscaloosa, Prattville, and Statewide Options
Every MRI technologist program a Alabama resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Alabama health systems are in Tesla MR's clinical network and exactly how placement works.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Alaska: Anchorage, Palmer, and Statewide Options
Every MRI technologist program a Alaska resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Alaska health systems are in Tesla MR's clinical network and exactly how placement works.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Gilbert, and Statewide Options
Every MRI technologist program a Arizona resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Arizona health systems are in Tesla MR's clinical network and exactly how placement works.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Colorado: 35+ Clinical Sites, $72K-$100K Salary, No Prerequisites
Every MRI technologist program a Colorado resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Colorado health systems are in Tesla MR's clinical network and exactly how placement works.
MRI Training in Washington 12-18 months · No prerequisites
Apply Now